Raes of Sunshine: Book One of the Rae Trilogy
by Mage of Dragons
Summary: Two years after Kelady of Mindelan comes to Corus, Raecell of Corvidae Peak becomes the second female page in over 100 years. But what is she hiding? Can this new girl survive, or will she be driven away by the Stump? [reedited version]
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So here it is. Just a random idea, but this ficcie was born. A lot different than my others, I know, but I think it has a possibility. And don't mind the summary. I suck at writing them. Blah. Oh yeah—new note- none of Kel's friends are at the palace yet because training hasn't started yet. But Kel stayed in Corus all summer, so she left for the Palace as soon as she could, to begin training. Rae's there early because she's new and scared, and her fief is really far away. Yet another note-Rae just seems like Kel in this chapter, but you will see. I just sort of had to follow the FT basic idea._

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then I don't own it. Simple. Rae, Tersion, Aularee, Aele, and Corvidae Peak, (and the plot) are entirely mine.**

Keladry of Mindelan stared thoughtfully at her porridge, her face Yamani-smooth. The sparsely populated mess hall was abuzz with whispers. She herself was silent. Of her friends, only dark-haired and dark-eyed Faleron had returned. He sat with some of his year-mates, reveling in the glory of fourth-year pagehood. The rumors had been spreading all day, despite the lack of pages. Kel was sure that the story had circulated the palace at least three times already, for all it was early in the morning.

She sighed, inwardly elated. Lord Tersion and Lady Alauree of Corvidae Peak had written to King Jonathon, just as her parents had, to inform the court that their daughter, Raecell, wished to train as a page. Like Kel, Raecell would have to undergo a one-year probationary period. And Kel intended to help her through it. Not as a girl, but as a friend and fellow page. _If she wants to be my friend. _Kel finished her porridge in silence, thoughts swirling around her head. Putting her saucer into the large dish basin, Kel turned slowly towards the pages' wing. Towards home. _I had better get unpacked, then,_ she thought lazily.

Several hours later, her clothes lay in their chest, her Yamani cats waved from their shelves, and her weapons hung from the rack in the corner. She flopped on her bed; glad to be back, as Lalasa swished through the door. In her arms hung the weighted harness that was the terror of the older pages. "Lady, I'm going to have to measure you again for this," she sighed, holding up the infernal leather straps of the training device. "Goddess knows how fast you grow," she said with a crooked smile.

Kel got up from the bed, suppressing a sigh. She _had_ grown over the summer, and now she was five feet five inches tall. Holding her arms straight out from her sides, Kel stood perfectly still as Lalasa whipped the measuring string around her body. "Good thing I measured you now" Lalasa sighed, "Instead of using last month's measurements. You've grown again, and I need to get this adjusted." With a nod, Lalasa gathered up her things, and swept through the door, heading towards the tanner's.

The next day, Kel woke at dawn, her body buzzing with excitement. Raecell of Corvidae Peak was arriving today! She did one of her most complicated pattern dances, glad for the exercise that kept her mind occupied. She fought to keep her mind blank of everything but her glaive. Despite her Yamani calm, she felt as if she was going to burst with questions and excitement. _Who is Raecell? What is she like? Who would sponsor her? Could I sponsor her?_ She pushed the questions to the back of her mind, focusing on her weapon. _So much for a quiet return to the palace, _she thought, _and training still doesn't begin for another week. _

Kel got her first look at Raecell during breakfast. She was tall, taller than Kel by about an inch. She had deep brown hair, cut short and held up in a horsetail. Her eyes were sharp and a shade of light brown, which, when she turned, glowed a tawny-yellow color in the light. Freckles spread like a mask across her face. She entered the mess hall half-way through the meal, escorted by a tall, stocky, man with silver-grey hair, who Kel guessed to be Raecell's father, Lord Tersion. They approached Lord Wyldon gravely. He spoke a few words to the Training Master, who beckoned a servant. The young servant girl, Aele, Kel remembered, came to Wyldon's side. He gave the girl her instructions, and the girl hurried off, followed by Raecell. Tersion took a seat next to Wyldon, and a servant brought him a plate of breakfast which looked much more appetizing than the pages' meals.

When Rae entered her room, she was fortunate to not have been graced by the same warm welcome that Keladry had received from her fellow pages. She had been warned that such a thing might happen, but because of Kel's war on hazing, the pages thought twice before acting against The Other Girl. She quickly unpacked her things, spreading her books out on the shelf. Her clothes went into the large trunk at the foot of her bed. She stuck her box of paper and writing tools on the desk, and her other equipment went into one corner.

Quickly washing her face in a basin of water that stood in her privy, she pulled on a pair of soft brown breeches, a white shirt with three-quarter sleeves, and her second-best tunic, a light green one that was made specially, to hang all the way down to the top of her knee. She retied her hair back, tying a green cloth strip around her forehead. With one last look in the mirror, she left the room, trying to smooth her travel-wrinkled clothing. She walked down the hall proudly, heading towards Lord Wyldon's office.

Thankfully, there were few people in the hallway. Rae was too nervous to talk to any passersby, except when she found herself so hopelessly lost that she HAD to ask a servant for directions. When she finally reached his rooms, she smoothed down the unruly fabric one more time, and knocked on the door. She could already hear her father and the Training Master inside, though their words were muffled. Their voices didn't sound angry- that was a good sign.

"Enter," Wyldon's voice was now loud enough for her to distinguish his words. With a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her. She walked towards the two men, who were seated together at a table.

She bowed to the both of them, saying "My lord; father," in a quiet voice. She stood in front of them; her hands now clasped behind her back.

"Good morning, Raecell. Please, sit." Rae walked over to a chair beside her father and pulled herself into it. Wyldon's face was pulled into a small scowl, and his grave face no longer showed the harsh animation that it had when the old Training Master had talked to her father. They had both been pages at the same time, she remembered, though they were not year-mates. Despite her father's older appearance, Wyldon was his senior by three years.

"You understand, Raecell, that you are here on suffrage. You have one year to prove yourself that you are just as capable as the boys. If you have not proved yourself acceptable after one year, you will be sent home. I will be the one to judge your capability on that count."

Raecell nodded. "Yes, my lord," There was no animosity in her voice, only fierce determination and pride. She was not angry that the conservatives had made King Jonathon accept these terms. They all just didn't understand that girls were just as good as boys. She would just have to prove that girls and boys were equals. _Then _they would see.

"You will receive no special treatments or privileges, despite your sex. I will not stand for any foolery." Wyldon's brown eyes were hard and stony. "If there is a boy in your room, the door must stay open. This is the same if you enter a boy's room. If you are disobedient, you will be sent home immediately."

This annoyed Rae, even if she understood. She was not here in the palace for romance or flirtations; she was here to become a knight! "Yes, sir," She looked up determinedly. There was no way that the formidable Training Master would scare her away. She was here to stay.

Wyldon pulled a piece of paper from his desk. "According to this, you claim to have a magical Gift. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir. I have a healing gift." Tersion put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. She straightened.

"Well, then," Lord Wyldon's face was dark, his voice expressionless. "You will attend magic lessons with the other Gifted pages. You will be notified when those are to be held." Turning to her father, the training master asked, "Has she brought a servant with her?"

Tersion gave a blunt shake of his head. "She has not."

"Very well," The stuffy Training Master cleared his voice quietly. "Then the palace has staff to clean her rooms." Turning back to Raecell, he said, "Being a page will be hard work. Your father knows this. I had hoped he would have convinced you otherwise, but…Do not expect to have anything given to you. You will work hard, or you will go home. Do not expect to be coddled along. Nowadays, the Royal family usually dines privately. On the Great Holidays and specially occasions, there are feasts held with other visiting nobles and delegates. The pages will be required to serve the royal family and the other nobles on these nights. You will also be required to run any errand or deliver any message for any lord or lady who asks it of you. Page Raecell, do you have any questions?"

Rae shook her head, though one thought rang through her mind: _What will it take to make you believe that boys and girls can be equals? _

"Then you may go into the farewell chamber to say you goodbyes. Page Raecell, I believe that you have already been assigned a room? He did not wait for her nod. "Then you will report there after you are finished. You have free time until the fifth bell, when supper is served. Meet in the Pages' hallway fifteen minutes before then. You will be assigned an older page as a sponsor at that time. Lord Tersion, Page Raecell," he gave a curt nod, standing up from the chair.

Rae and her father bowed, and then left the room. It was time to begin her life as a page. She was going to prove to Lord Wyldon that girls and boys could be equals.

_A/N: So, how was it? A lot longer than One Wish, eh? Press that button and let me know! Note to readers: All flames will be doused in my new blue fish tank. Jolly. _

_MoD_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So, here it is. Hope y'all like it. But even if you don't, I'm going to keep writing. This is so much fun to write. I love Neal, don't you?_

**Disclaimer: Rae is mine, and forever shall be. If I had the rest of the characters, I'd use the money to but tropical fish. But I don't. Sadly.**

Rae spent the rest of the day in her room, wishing that her friends were here. She missed Lanna, Koshi, Maze, and Kay. But she might never see them again. Her eyes stung. She picked up a book and began reading. There was nothing she could do now. She would just have to get her shield. Then she'd see. With a sigh, she turned back to the world of battles fought long ago, trying to drown herself in a sea of stories.

She ate sometime later, when her stomach growled, pulling a piece fruit bread from her packs. She lazed around on her small bed for a while, not wiling to roam the halls and risk getting lost. The fourth bell rang. She sat up, pulling her legs off the bed. Her clothes were mussed from sitting in the same spot for almost six hours. She got up and stretched, kneading her muscles out of their knots. She pulled her tunic over her head and shook it fiercely, trying to get the wrinkles out. She looked in the mirror and stared at her reflection. Staring back at her were the same golden-brown eyes, bushy eyebrows, and freckles. Her hair, which she had so neatly tied up this morning, was frizzing out of its hold. She combed it until it lay flat again, using cupfuls of water, and tied her headband around her forehead.

She slipped into some soft shoes, wondering what supper would be like. Who would be her sponsor? Would anyone sit with her? She knew that Keladry of Mindelan had friends, including Crown Prince Roald, but that didn't give anyone cause to like _her. _Just because she was a girl didn't mean that _Kel _had to like her, or would like her. What if everyone thought she was strange or that she was just a silly girl? _I _AM _a silly girl, _Rae thought, mocking. Many times she had been scolded or taunted, because unlike Kel, who hid her emotions behind her Yamani mask, Rae outwardly shrugged everything off. She let smiles, jokes, and laughter show, while inside she was sad, angry, and hurt.

With a sad sigh, she looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Was this who she really wanted to be? _Yes. I want to be a knight. And you don't _have _to have friends to be a knight; _Rae thought forlornly, _you just have to be good. So that's what I'll do. _She turned away from the mirror and opened the door without hesitation, without looking back. This was her choice; this was who she wanted to be.

She stepped out into the pages' wing, lit by oil lamps that cast a warm yellow glow that was both cheery and somber. The other pages were gathered at the end of the hall. From the number that stood there, it appeared that more pages had arrived during the day. There were definitely more here than there had been during breakfast. She stood at the edge of the crowd, unsure and nervous. She saw at least two or three other pages who looked small, scared, and unsure, and guessed that they were first years, too.

Rae was waiting silently, wondering what she should do, when the tall Training Master strode down the hall. "First years, assemble yourselves in a line," he snapped. The pages hurried to do as he bid, some more gracefully than the others. Rae was the third in line. She barely paid any attention as the two boys ahead of her were chosen by their sponsors. She didn't even catch their names. As they were led into the crowds by their older sponsors, Rae realized that she stuck out like a sore thumb. She was thirteen, three years older than the other first-years, and it showed in her height. She was 5'6", and at least a head taller than the others.

"Name, and fief," Wyldon said coolly when he turned to her. His brown eyes were sharp.

"Raecell of Corvidae Peak, milord." Rae said, hoping that she didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

Kel watched Raecell from the middle of the crowd of pages. Rae stood nervously, her hands clasped behind her back, yet she addressed the stern Training Master without faltering. She was tall and slender, with thin shoulders and well-muscled legs. She was tall, and looked older than ten. Her voice was medium-high, with a slight, squeaking after-tone.

"Who will sponsor Raecell?" the Stump asked. He looked over at the pages. From the corner of her eye, Kel saw Quinden, the last of Joren's cronies, open his mouth to speak. Kel faked a cough, and whacked him with her elbow as she covered her mouth. Wyldon glared at her, but said nothing. She would not let anyone drive Rae or herself away. She sent a pleading look at Neal, who began to shake his head. She glared at him, and he relented.

"I will show her our ways, my lord," Neal said, keeping the sarcasm in his voice to a bare minimum. Kel saw Raecell gape at Neal, very much like she had three ears ago. Didn't Neal know not to bait the Training Master?

Lord Wyldon watched Neal with a look of contempt. "You, Nealan of Queenscove? I had hoped—" the formidable Training Master stopped, looking from Rae to Neal with a haughty glance. "Very well. Page Nealan, I hope that you will not instruct her in your rebellious ways, for I will know of it if you do."

Neal bowed deeply to him "Very good, milord, thank you, milord," he said mockingly.

"I will stand for none of your insolence," Wyldon snapped. "Mend your ways or you will not see much of you free time for the next year."

"I am sorry, my lord, I will try to hold my dreadful tongue if it so displeases you," Neal said sarcastically.

"Page Nealan, one of the great virtues of a knight is politeness. You will spend from the first to the second bell on Sunday sharpening swords. Hopefully work will dull your tongue."

Kel glared at Neal. Couldn't he just stay out of trouble for once? Rae just stared. Was this handsome boy, with his dark brown hair and emerald eyes, mad? Or had he cracked under the training required to be a knight? He certainly didn't look young enough to be a page. Had he had to repeat some of the years? She didn't know.

"Very well, my lord Wyldon." Neal said. Faleron elbowed him, and he bowed, saying no more.

Rae watched the exchange with gloomy good humor. She had a mad page-sponsor who lived to torment the training master. She was doomed. Her mind spun as Wyldon assigned a sponsor to the remaining page. What was she going to do? How was she going to escape this crazy boy, who seemed determined to get himself-and her, into trouble?

Rae listened to Wyldon as he told them how more pages would arrive in the next three days, the first years needing sponsors. Their classes and training would start in a week. He turned, and headed towards the mess hall.

Rae was watching the Training Master's back as he walked down the hall. Her sponsor, Nealan of Queenscove, walked up to her. He was tall, with fair skin and firm muscles built up from the sessions of page training. His emerald eyes glinted with a mischievous light.

"Come, page," he said lightly, "We journey now into the halls of your new home; where you shall be educated into the torturous, rough-and-tumble ways of the glorious knights of Tortall."

Rae gaped at him. "What?"

Neal smiled, and patted her shoulder. "Welcome to Corus, dear. Now, c'mon we're going to be late for dinner. The Stump hates it when we're late."

"Umm… Nealan? Who's the Stump?" Rae asked quizzically. This boy could not be speaking Common. What in the world was he talking about?

"Call me Neal. Anyway, the Stump is our lord and Training Master. I swear that if he was any stiffer, we use him for firewood on cold winter nights! Now, Raecell, lets go!" He started off briskly down the halls.

"Call me Rae," she huffed after him, keeping up easily once she go the rhythm of his pace. "What year are you? And how old are you. Pardon me for saying it, but you look older than 14," Rae said bluntly.

"I'm a third year. And no, I'm not fourteen. I'm eighteen. I was at the university before I came here. I started five years late. And pardon me for saying it," he copied her voice almost exactly, "But you don't look ten, either. Not even _Kel _was that big when she started, although Cleon, could have been, maybe,"

"No, I just turned thirteen this summer. I took me a while to convince Papa that I really wanted to go, even if it meant staring late. You know Kel? What's she like? Do you think she'll like me?" Rae asked, breathless.

"We're going to see her now, so you can see her for yourself. You know, she's a whole year younger than you are," Neal replied.

"I know, but she's so brave. It's 'cause of her that Papa let me come. She's a hero, like the Lioness,"

Neal chuckled, speeding up their pace, so that they were back in line with the other pages. This girl was very different from quiet, reserved, Kel. But she had a lot of heart. "C'mon, Rae," he said, and they walked into the mess hall.

_A/N; If you don't review, I will send Owen the Jolly Garden Gnome after you. All flames will be used to toast marshmallows and small rodents._


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